


smile

by Phanseyelash123



Category: Original Work
Genre: Batman spin-off, Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Original Fiction, Original Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:00:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28254297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phanseyelash123/pseuds/Phanseyelash123
Summary: Kyle’s life is God awful.He wishes for it to be better.And when everything is bad, one girl is always there.Ruby.-or-A book for my friend, Kyle. Have a lovely year my friend.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	1. meetings

**Author's Note:**

> You know what this is  
> :D hope u have fun  
> my apologise for any mistakes, mostly written in the AMs (this goes for all chaps lol)

It was a snowy day in Conroe, Texas. It was weird, as it rarely ever snowed in Texas, if not ever. However, this time the pavement was covered with a cold blanket of white, that only got taller over night. It was usually cold, grey and boring in winter, maybe showers of rain that lazily tapped buildings, drumming an erratic pattern over heads of tired students and overworked employees, so seeing snow was nothing but a fairy tail to the eyes of those who hadn’t left the state. 

Kyle was mesmerised. His blue eyes followed a individual snow flake. The small petal of cold sank into the ocean of snow below it. He repeated this a few more times, realised his mouth was hanging open, and closed it. He hopped off the windowsill and stretched, slipping on a large, but tight, white turtleneck, and big fluffy socks. Halting, he noticed there was a hole at the bottom of the sock. He frowned, poked a finger through, but continued reluctantly to slip on his clothes. Kyle opened his bedroom door to sneak downstairs. 

He didn’t have gloves, he realised. It was cold. He wanted to touch the snow. His fingers would go numb. He knew this, and pulled on his welly boots and blue coat that had a fluffy rim on the hood. The fluff was clearly faux fur, matted from being worn and old, and it was slightly below his wrists- he grew out of it. It had been a while since the climate was cold. 

He stepped out the house and immediately stopped when he heard a crunch. He looked down. Snow. Unbroken, untouched, pure snow. A huge grin over came him and he danced in circles, the crunches of snow getting louder and faster as his excitement grew. Anyone in the proximity would look at the child, dancing in the cold, and smiled warmly. He laughed heartedly and rolled up some snow in his palms, about to throw it to the floor again, and his front door opened. 

The snow fell from his fingers. 

“Kyle,” the woman hissed, venomous, deadly, fierce. “Get to school. People are trying to sleep.” Her nose coiled with hate of the weather. 

Kyle nodded and left. 

The crunching only made him excited again, so when he was out of ear shot and eye sight he began to mess up the perfect snowy path. Not only that, it was still rather dim because of the winter weather, so he was blanketed by a safety cloak of the morning sun being lazy. He didn’t need any judging eyes on him. 

“Kyle?” A voice. It was humoured. Not in a friendly way, though. 

Guess the morning sun wasn’t enough after all. 

He froze (he would usually laugh at the pun) and stiffly turned around, eyes going wide.

Three boys, the year above him. They had always terrorised Kyle. It could be burning his books, dunking his head in a toilet, or even subtly like spreading rumours of him to the point people avoided him like the plague. 

“Hello.” Kyle said, swallowing and he began to walk away faster. The boys barely had to step quicker to be directly behind him, so Kyle went down a small slope beside the path and onto a field of grass which was covered by white. His steps became faster- running now- his breath creating steam that faded away with each growing pant. 

“Why are ya runnin’, Kyle?” One taunted, grabbing the hood and throwing the kid to the floor. His bare hands clutched whatever he could find and he curled up. “Leave me alone.” Kyle whispered into the crook of his arm, squeezing his eyes as kicks landed on his back. 

“Come on, Kyle! Fight us like a man!”

He realised he should have stayed in plain sight- perhaps ran into the road instead, and now he was obscured from the public eye, being beaten in a field. 

“Stop, please.” He cried at a particularly harsh blow to his stomach which he pathetically attempted to cover. 

“Hey.”

A voice. 

It was plain. Monotone, even. But ever so demanding.

“Huh...?” One of the bullies whispered and turned around, and the others followed. 

“‘ho are you?” Snapped the boy, and Kyle meekly looked up. 

A girl. 

She was easily shorter than all the boys, maybe even Kyle, her face was round and was rosy from the weather, and her ears that would match her complexion were covered with beige ear muffs. Actually, her entire outfit was beige, to her long coat, to her shorts that poked from under the coat, and the turtleneck that peaked up, barely visible from the done up fabric. Her straight, brown hair was incredibly long, down to the end of her torso. She was lucky to have tights, because this weather was really not good for having her legs exposed. 

“The fuck?” The eldest hissed. “Get outa here.”

The girl’s brown eyes flickered to her hands, which she was removing her gloves (odd) and she tucked them away. 

“Get away from him.”

Silence for a moment, and Kyle tried to stutter an answer, only failing to sit up and withering back to the icy floor. 

“Or wh’t?” He laughed, plucking the earmuffs from her head, but her face didn’t change. 

Kyle couldn’t see- the fatter kid was in the way- but skin hit skin and the kid that had stolen her clothes stumbled back. He spat, the saliva sinking into the snow, and he shoved her shoulder once. 

“Let’s get outa here.” He murmured. 

The three kids left, looking at the girl like she was a monster, and she stepped towards Kyle, who was shivering and cowering still. 

“I...” Kyle whispered, lips unable to even fathom words at that moment. He looked up at his saviour. Her face was smothered with fading freckles and she looked old for someone who was clearly young. 

“Get up.” She said. She didn’t offer her hand, just stood patiently waiting for the boy to gather himself. It was a few moments before Kyle could understand what she had even said, and he stood with a little struggle. 

“Thank you so much, I really can’t-“

“It’s fine.” Her voice didn’t leave the bland tone she was using, only gesturing for him to follow as her boots crunched the snow beneath them. He followed after grabbing her illegally fluffy earmuffs, and as thought, he was taller than her by mere centimetres. 

As they drew to the street he had stupidly abandoned, the children reached a black car with blackened windows. 

“This is my ride. You’re going to Conroe Elementary, I’m guessing?” She said, turning to him. 

“Y-yeah.”

“Okay. Feel free to come in, too.” The girl continued and opened the car door, hopping in. Kyle swallowed and looked back, seeing the footsteps of his desperate escape and the three rascals that smothered even his footprints. 

Kyle remained quiet as he got into the car, which was also beige and had real leather for seats, and he shut the door as quiet as he could. 

“Hello, Miss Ruby,” a man at the front was saying, “how’re ya? Is this your friend?” The man was probably around forty, and had smile lines, and hair that was a little puffy at the sides. His eyebrows were thick and his smile was genuine as he looked at Kyle. 

“Sure.” The girl, Ruby, said, already looking out the window in boredom even though they hadn’t began to move yet. 

“Well, hello there,” the man continued, “I’m Edward, and you are..?”

“Oh, uh... Kyle.”

“Kyle, huh? Good name for a good, young chap. Are you okay? Your nose is bleeding. Should I contact your guardian?” Edward continued, keeping conversation light. His brows furrowed a little, showing he was truly concerned even if he just chattered nonsensically. 

“Oh- uh... yeah, no, I’m okay.” He said, wiping the blood on his hand. As he did so, Ruby placed the gloves on his legs, “take them. Your hands are in need of them more than mine.”

He looked at her pale, small hands and noticed her knuckles were red. She had punched him? Ruby... had guts. Then back to the gloves. He put them on after a small look from the girl, who was almost daring him to challenge her order, and they began to drive in silence. 

While driving, he thought about their accents. Edward had the traditional British accent, thick, a little posh mixed with cockney, while Ruby was very much so not from Texas. He had a hard time putting his finger on where on Earth she could have came from- it was American for sure, but where, exactly? He recognised it, so it must be from somewhere rather known...

“Alright, have a good day, you two. Don’t get in no trouble, Ruby.” Edward said. 

She nodded. He drove away and Ruby had a flame in her eye, a smirk to her lips, though subtle, it was noticeable if you hadn’t seen another expression other than deadpan. 

“Double negative.”

Kyle found that the interaction with the girl ended just about there. Sure, whenever he looked over at her and she immediately felt eyes on her, her dark eyes found his. But that was hardly a notable interaction. However, the first day into school he had heard she was the kid of two famous, rich people- the Wilkins, who specialised in making car engines back in the day, though slowly over time had taken almost every industry by storm. Televisions to weaponry, they were supplying police force all over America, and even other countries too. 

She was from Gotham. 

That was why he knew the accent. 

He was going into middle school, and he was nervous. There were going to be bigger, meaner kids there, kids that felt that as they’re more mature physically that they were better than the younger kids. He was sweating just thinking about it.

Luckily, the weather was warm against his pale face, and he wore a comfortable hoodie and jeans as he tread to school. As he passed the field, he remembered the girl, Ruby, saving his ass last year. He swallowed deeply, wondering how much worse that situation could have gotten.

Ruby had settled down fast and quietly. People spoke about her for only a month before getting bored as she was a quiet kid that never broke her character, just being stark, cold and mysterious. Kyle had only attempted to speak to her once out of the last three hundred or so days, and she only got a cocked brow, as if she was saying “seriously?” 

Middle school. Here he came. 

Lunch time was the worst for people like Kyle. His reputation had followed him into the school, since plenty of kids from elementary had gone there too, so he sat alone in the courts, watching as people scored goals and cheered one and other. But... the quiet was nice, though. 

“Can I sit here?” 

Kyle jolted forward and looked up, seeing Ruby’s plain but expecting expression, and he nodded. She placed her beige bag down and sat down on the concrete, her smooth legs smothered by freckles due to the Texan heat against the rocky texture of the ground. She was wearing a plain (beige) dungarees dress over a plain white shirt. Around her neck was a silver locket in the shape of two wings folded to shape a heart. 

Seeing his eyes on it, she looked forward and rummaged through her bag, “my mother gave it to me.” She said simply. 

“Oh.” Kyle nodded and followed her gaze, watching people scream at each other for something he had missed. 

“When was your birthday?”

“Oh, about two weeks ago.”

“Did you celebrate with anyone?”

Kyle raised a brow, “no... why?”

“How about we change that?”

Ruby made eye contact. Her eyes were warm and inviting despite the monotone. 

Kyle’s face went warm. 

“Alright.”

How did he end up in the most mansion mansion to ever mansion? The gates had opened with no one to pull them and the door unlocked automatically and the butler- Edward- greeted him. 

The place was polished, wooden, with grand stairs slipping off upstairs, up into plenty of unseen rooms and suites. To the left, a grand hall- or a dining hall- and to the right seemed to be a library. 

He felt underdressed in beat up sneakers and shaggy hair. 

Edward only gave him a warm smile, “Come on, fella, let’s get you settled.” He steered him into the presumed library, which on further inspection was the front room, the wall so happened to be covered in all sorts of books. New and old, fiction to cook books to horror to biographies. He was amazed, his little reader heart singing. His finger brushed a spine of a ocean blue book and he smiled. 

Imagine living like this. 

“Kyle.”

An embarrassing yelp from Kyle and a cough into the back of his hand later, he turned to look at Ruby. 

Her hair was up in pigtails and again, a white turtleneck and beige shorts, along with white socks. 

“Hi.”

“My parents should be home any moment,” she said, walking forward and sliding out the book Kyle was inspecting. The book was a Charles Dickens novel, and Ruby’s eyes lit up seeing it. 

“I like this one. It’s rather basic to like his most famous work, but I think it’s fine to like something popular. Besides, Oliver Twist is well written, wouldn’t you agree?” She turned to him expectantly, eyebrow raised. 

Kyle tugged at his hoodie nervously. “I like Percy Jackson.”

Ruby’s eyes were still twinkly. “I love those books, too! I should reread them sometime.”

“I haven’t finished it.”

The sparkle died a little, but she kept whatever she was thinking to herself. “Why so?”

“I can’t afford the last novel.”

The inward thoughts she had clearly had had dissipated and she looked at the floor, them up at him. He had been expecting a piteous look, but then she held his hand in both of hers. They were still smaller than his, just the way he had remembered from the first day they had met. “It’s okay, you can borrow mine. And maybe the next series too?”

As Kyle opened his mouth to speak, the front door opened and he pulled his hand back from her grasp. She didn’t seem to notice the way he had flinched back at the opening of the door and it closing. 

“Hello-ha!” The woman announced, her steps echoing. She was wearing high heels. Ruby walked forward, face stiff again, and plainly said hello. 

The woman, who was her mother, had dyed red hair that was pulled up in a bun and she was in a skin tight dress covered by a done up blazer. She untidily stripped her shoes off. 

“Hey, darling,” she greeted and pecked Ruby’s forehead. Her eyes slid up and over Kyle. It wasn’t judgmental. It was curious. 

“You must be Kyle, correct?” She said. The words were formal much like a teacher who didn’t want to get close with a child, however the tone was warm and inviting. 

“Uh, yes, Miss.” Kyle said, sweat building. 

“Call me Kate. Or Ruby’s mom. Whatever feels best. Now, Edward should have prepared your cake. I’m gonna get dressed,” she turned to Ruby, crouching down so they were eye level. “Sweetheart, daddy can’t make it. He has work to do. I’ll be down in a minute.” Another kiss, and then she was gone. 

Ruby sighed through her nose and tugged his hoodie. Her face was distant again. 

“Come to my room. I’ll grab the books now.”

Twenty minutes later, Kyle had a bag of books, stacked to the top from Ruby’s personal collection. He had flicked through them and noticed some pages were folded over for favourite parts, some highlighted and some with post-it-notes that had writing analysis. He didn’t even know people did this to their personal belongings. He placed it next to his shoes and followed Ruby like a lost puppy, eyes full with wonder of this home which offered everything his own didn’t. 

The kitchen was just as beautiful. The cabinets hanging on the walls wooden, smooth, the surfaces of the island and countertops a white marble with flecks of black in them. All the machinery was new and well kept, basically still sparkling like they bought it yesterday. The place was filled with subtle décor, flower pots and family photos. Ruby wasn’t smiling in any of them. Edward was standing in the kitchen, pulling out precious China like it wasn’t something that should be stocked up in a glass cabinet. 

“Hello, you two! I’m about to serve the cake.” He greeted. Kyle blinked. He had forgotten about that. “Are you sure? I don’t wanna bother.”

Ruby’s brow skyrocketed. “Silly. I invited you here. Of course you’re getting cake.” She smiled- just a little. Kyle’s face went a little warm, shyly looking to the floor like it was going to aid him with how his heart skipped a beat. 

“Now, do you wish to do birthday candles?”

Kyle’s eyes lit up. His mother, Michelle, hadn’t bought him a cake this year, only getting him a biscuit, half assed from her way home. He hadn’t actually had a cake for a while. He always recalled he would make a wish. It was a good time, having his family stand around him, all off time and off tune with the song. But they all seemed to love and accept one and other. 

That was a long time ago. 

“I would love to!”

Edward nodded and called the house (huh?) and asked it to dim the windows. And to Kyle’s amazement, it obeyed Edward’s command and all the windows blackened. The Butler smiled, lit the candle and brought it to the island. Kyle sat on a seat to reach, his eyes shimmering with the sight of a simple chocolate cake that was covered in careful icing that spelt out “HAPPY BIRTHDAY”. 

The door slid open and Ruby’s mother slipped in, now in a cardigan and some flared jeans. “Can’t believe you started without me,” she chided playfully and stood behind Ruby. 

The candle illuminated Ruby’s face, and her eyes were soft, looking at the flame as it danced coaxingly. 

Kyle let out a breath. 

He blew the candle out.


	2. fights

The weather should be warm, it was summer after all, but a large storm had been plaguing the State for two days now, and it was in a constant cycle of drenching everyone in rain, to rumbling, to furious winds that should knock anyone off their feet.

They were in high school, and Kyle stared out the window, watching all the trees bustle and fight an unbeatable force of the weather. He wish he could be out there instead of his English class, learning about books that didn’t matter and writing book reviews but bullshitting answers just to satisfy old guys who marked them, who hadn’t even gotten used to the newer generation’s ideas and their zeitgeists, simply only knowing what they grew up with and therefore judging them harshly because their reviews didn’t fit what they personally thought ‘back in their day’. Instead, Kyle wanted to stand out in the wind, listen to it lash at his ears and make his cheeks flush as it grew colder. He wanted it to rain on him, dampen his mullet so it was flat on his face. He wanted to outstretch his arms and accept a lightning bolt to the chest. He wanted-

“Kyle.” The teacher snapped, “stop looking outside. I know it’s so interesting, but so are your exams, so stop daydreaming.” She said sarcastically. After a moment of the class looking at him with a mix of amused and bored expressions, Kyle went back to thinking about how he wanted to be anywhere but here.

He walked through the halls at lunch, standing taller than most people. Puberty had hit him like a truck and he had grown much over the last few years. Including facial hair. God, did Kyle fucking hate facial hair. He had to shave everyday because otherwise he would get one of those shit moustaches that kids seemed to think were cool in his year. Okay, so maybe he was rambling in his head about how much the world hates him.

At least he had somewhere to sit at lunch, though. He was in the corner, and would sit and eat an apple while reading a book. Kyle had a shit habit of propping his legs up on the seat beside him like he owned the place just so no one sat next to him, so whenever someone politely requested the chair he would simply just eat the apple louder and stare until they got pissed and walked away.

Whatever.

The day passed like any other day, with minimal interaction, asshole-Apple-eating and Kyle being angry at nothing. He walked home, hoodie pulled over his head and earbuds in.

Admittedly, Kyle wasn’t trying to look edgy, per se, he just was so cold and it wasn’t like he could afford a coat. Luckily, school has ended on only wind with no rain, so he was content to go home in this weather.

He was listening to [Father by the Front Bottoms](https://open.spotify.com/track/1e8P3x6RtiAg7qaDgnNznb?si=75ATZ8GiTzKsNSu71BUA6w) when he heard steps drawing near. Usually, the dark haired teenager would simply ignore, maybe turn up his music, but these steps were quick, and demanding, and fast and rough and scary and Kyle tensed hearing them draw closer to his very much exposed body-

Smack.

Kyle fell to the floor, his earbuds falling out and the song silencing. He could only hear the wind and the cackles of those fucking assholes- again- who had thought it was funny to hit him round the head with a school bag.

Sam. He was the main one. The last time he had gotten physical with Kyle was the day Ruby had punched him. Since then, it had only been psychological, it being rumours being spread or generally being a dick, but never violent.

Today seemed to be an exception.

“Hey, Kyle, you little motherfucker. It’s been a while.” He taunted, putting his foot to Kyle’s chest to keep him down.

“What the fuck do you want, Sam?” He snarled with disgust. Sam did not take a liking to this treatment and kicked the boot into his chin, slamming Kyle’s bottom teeth into his lip and Kyle tasted blood. Iron and thick and gross.

“Don’t you have any respect for your elders?” He said, leaning down to grab Kyle by the mullet. He overlapped their hands and tried to tug him away to loosen his grip, but it only caused Sam to go tighter.

“Stop it!” Kyle yelled, “fuck off!”

“Guess I’ll have to teach you a lesson, huh?”

Kyle heard him and his two mates chuckle. It sounded like they missed this. Missed torturing him. Missed seeing him squirm and writhe with pain. Missed punching him. Missed kicking him.

Kyle’s nose scrunched.

Revolting.

Kyle finally got control of his body and scrambled up, grabbing Sam’s arm and twisting it- “What the fuck?!” - and then Kyle punched Sam in the face- Holy shit, did that hurt like a motherfucker- but he didn’t care.

Another punch. Another punch. Sam fell to the floor. Another punch. Kyle straddled him and grabbed Sam’s hair, pulling his face to the side so he had a flat surface to pound. Another. Another. Another.

“Sto-st-op.” Sam choked out.

Kyle breathed raggedly.

He looked at the two friends beside him, too shocked and scared to move. Kyle stared at Sam’s face. His eye was bruised already and his lip was bleeding. His teeth were yellow with blood.

Kyle let go of his hair and spat blood in Sam’s face.

“Don’t fucking mess with me again.”

Sam ran, tail between his legs.

And when Kyle put his earbuds back in, he wiped the blood from his chin.

He liked Sam’s pain. He liked the pleading.

He liked the blood.

After that, all the looks he used to get were now out of fear or disgust instead of general dislike. People avoided him. People stopped asking for his seat.

Kyle liked this power.

While reading Lord of the Flies, two teenagers approached him. Now, they weren’t just people asking for the seat, Kyle knew of these people. Respected them, even. They were part of the goth and punk clique. Kyle was up for breaking the stereotypes surrounding these people, though unfortunately they didn’t really help the population’s view of them. They were violent, loud and cocky. Which was weird. Why were they approaching him? Kyle was none of these things.

“Kyle, right?” One asked. He had piercings that teachers definitely had bugged the parents to get removed. His hair was dyed red.

“Yeah, what’s it to you?” Seriously, Kyle? Why are you acting like this? He asked himself, but his face was stern.

“My name’s James. We heard about what you did to Sam. I fuckin’ hate Sam, he’s always been a huge cunt to me and my girl, and since you’ve fucked him up and basically made him piss himself, we were wondering if you wanted to hang. If not, that’s fine, but we respect you.”

Kyle hadn’t been expecting this. This was a possibility for friendship, right?

“Sure. Why not.” Kyle said, nodding.

Across the room, a girl with beige clothes and a locket of wings watched, brows narrowing and a frown growing with concern.

Kyle had travelled up the social hierarchy of respect tremendously within the last few months. He was regarded with fear. It was because within those weeks, he had uncovered that despite his skinny frame, he was naturally good at dodging attacks, and he was also strong due to body mass and height. The punks had converted Kyle to their culture, their music and clothes, and unfortunately he couldn’t afford new outfits, he made due with skinny jeans and shirts. He hung out with them on the weekends and drank at a junkyard, kicked bottles and sang loudly, not a care in the world. Kyle had missed having fun.

Going home after those good nights was awful. He would climb into his bedroom window to be avoid being caught by his mother, but she was paranoid and waited outside his door for movement to accuse him of leaving.

“Oh, Kyle, don’t lie to me. Have you been leaving?” Her lips moved and Kyle hated it. He wanted her to stop fucking talking. All she did was bitch and moan.

“No. You’re being paranoid.”

“Don’t try and gaslight me. Your new attitude stinks. I’m your mother and I support you. Do you understand?” She said, frowning.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Kyle rolled his eyes and looked at his phone dismissively, scrolling through his Spotify playlist and proceeding to click on classic punk rock. It blasted through his headphones.

It happened so fast that Kyle’s mind could barely process it in time. His mother took his hair and slammed his head against a wall, making him queasy, dizzy and shocked all at the same time. She held him against it and she whispered, “do I make myself clear.”

“Yes.” Kyle whispered back.

She let go after a moment and grabbed the headphones with a daring look, unplugged them and spat, “good.”

Peter Joann was an asshole. A big, tall white, blond haired prick who absolutely was from clichés and movies. Popular but no one knew why, filthy rich and spoiled, and a dick. Everyone hated him, aside from other dicks. Now, people hated Sam and his two mates, but at least people talked about it and spoke back. To Peter, though? No. He was the tallest in the year and the most muscled. Kyle was just below him when it came to being feared.

Kyle didn’t like that. He wanted more.

Lunch time rolled around and his clique were being obnoxious as usual, throwing food at the nerds and flipping them off childishly, only receiving death stares in return. Kyle stood out of no where and the others looked at him, suppressing giggles. “Whatch’ya doin’, pal?” James asked, raising his pierced brow.

“Watch.” Kyle smirked.

He made a b-line for the asshole table, straight to Peter and his other mates, and he stared at Peter until he looked up.

Mildly annoyed, he smiled sarcastically, “can I help you, freak?” He said. His teeth were too white. He probably bleached them. Kyle’s fists bunched. God, he wanted to punch the fucker.

“Meet me outside school at three.”

“Why?” He smirked, crossing his arms.

“Because if you’re not there, I’ll fuckin’...” Kyle leant down to his ear and whispered, and whatever he said which was inaudible to everyone else made the man jolt with anger. “Oh, you’re on, asshole.” He growled.

Kyle left floating in glee. He was gonna beat this mother fucker up, and everyone was gonna respect him. Peter was an asshole. He was gonna be respected. People were gonna think he was cool. He was gonna be cool.

The bell went in his final lesson and Kyle smirked. He took his time packing, leisurely taking each piece of equipment with ease.

“What are you doing?” A bland voice asked.

Kyle turned around and cocked a brow. There stood Ruby. Her eyebrow was raised as per usual and she never looked as bored. She had gotten a hair cut last year, bangs, covering the freckles on her forehead. She looked tired.

Kyle had not realised how big the height difference was until they were this close. The boy chuckled, fluffing his mullet and turning to her. “Oh, hi. Doing your once a year talk?” He asked sarcastically, flashing his perfect teeth and leaning against the table.

Ruby didn’t look impressed. She placed her copy of a Charles Dickens book to the table beside her and adjusted her spotless backpack. As she did so, she brushed the hair from her shoulder. “Kyle. How stupid are you?”

His smile fell. “What?”

“Seriously. You think fighting and beating people up will make people respect you? At least do it with honour.” She spoke with zero aggression. Only the bored eyes.

“Oh, fuck off,” he spoke- she wasn’t caught off guard- “don’t try and lecture me. If you really cared, you’d talk to me.”

“I am.”

“Oh, sorry, honey.” He spat, beginning to pack up his shit faster now. He had to get away from her now. All she did was cause problems and make him feel weird and sick and judged. As he was stuffing his textbook away, her hand wrapped around his wrist. “Kyle-“

Kyle snapped, the touching not having been expected, and grabbed her by the shoulder and in a flash, had her pinned against the wall. She gasped, eyes finally showing her true emotion: fear. Kyle leaned forward to her face, having to curve himself in a little to be face to face with her, and he snarled, like a wolf, “Don’t you fucking touch me, you bitch.” He panted, “you fuckin’ teased me with a good family and a friendship and fucked off to spend it with all your lil’ rich friends that don’t give a fuck about you.”

Ruby sighed, gently removing his hand from her beige sweater, “Kyle, stop projecting. My friends care about me. Do yours?”

Kyle’s lips parted. He spluttered and gasped and pulled away from her, looking both shocked and angry and fearful, and he grabbed his back.

“Leave me the fuck alone.”

He had planned to keep his cool when he saw Peter, however after that little spat he saw the boy, slammed his bag down and basically charged at him.

No words were exchanged, just wild yells and fists and punches and kicks. They were far away from school, as agreed while whispering, and they were allowed to scream and punch if they wanted to. Kyle couldn’t feel his body. He was pumped on adrenaline and fury. Each punch gave him only a pinch of satisfaction, starving him for more and more and more.

Peter’s nose was bleeding. Kyle’s eyes locked on the oozing liquid, in turn getting kicked in the stomach, hard, and Kyle tumbled over.

There was a hill here?

Branches snapped and rocks fell and leaves crunched as Kyle fell, and fell, and fell down a tall hill that seemed to never end. His vision blurred and merged into one deformed image of trees and lively green leaves and sticks and the sky that peaked through the canopies.

When he stopped rolling, it was because his back smashed a tree.

Winded, Kyle wheezed and desperately clutched the ground in a weak attempt to get more oxygen into his body, but it was worthless.

The world went black.

When Kyle woke up, the sun was setting and the blue sky had turned into a lovely warm gradient. He sat up with a loud groan, rubbing his eyes.

His back definitely had a huge bruise on it. Fuck.

“Fuck.” He voiced, meekly standing after a few attempts. Struggling up the hill, he only reached there because of a handy tree branch, and he grabbed his bag.

He picked up his phone and his thumb hovered over “MICHELLE”, hesitant. No. No. He couldn’t call her. Not when he looked like this. He had bloody knuckles and a split lip that burnt when the air touched it and mud all over him. No. That was a death sentence.

Deciding to leave the forest before he passed out again, he started for a random direction in the haze.

God, that had gone so bad. Just because Ruby had said a few words too... Kyle’s first clutched. Ruby... Ruby really pushed his buttons. She thought she knew everything. She thought being mysterious was cool and people thought she was cool and she was respected and she had friends and she was everything he wasn’t. Rich, had a loving family, had friends, seemingly happy.

Kyle stopped his walking.

“Wh...” He whispered, his bloodied fingers coming to his face. He touched his cheek. Wet.

“Am...”

Tears.

“Am I crying?”

Kyle stared at his hands in disbelief as more drips came down.

“No! No. No. I can’t cry.” He whispered angrily and wiped them away in a furious hurry, stomping down the road.

“God, Ruby’s so fuckin- she’s such an asshole, trying to boss me around even though she doesn’t know me at all. Yeah, she thinks she’s the best. Just because her parents are successful and she thinks she’s so smart. Well, no. Fuck her. Fuck. Her. Fuck-“ Kyle’s eyes shot up as he saw the grass become pavement. A path. When he followed this path, his eyes went wide.

The Wilkins Manor.

A new wave of dizziness crashed over his body like an ocean on a stormy night. He knew he had to push away his pride. He felt like he was going to explode. “Ugh. God. Fuck.” He grumbled and clicked the buzzer.

“Who is it?” The British voice greeted at the other end.

“Kyle. Ruby’s friend.”

“A pleasant surprise. Come right in.”

Kyle struggled up the dwindling pathway that was for cars and not his battered, muddy shoes and went to knock on the door.

The door opened.

“Ed- what are you-“ it was Ruby. Her hair was pulled up in a very messy ponytail and she was sweaty and red. She was wearing nothing but a sports bra and some tight black shorts. Kyle had never realised the freckles continued past her neck, he guessed that was understandable as she wore turtlenecks in the summer. Her shoulders were absolutely smothered in them, making her almost look tanned. Weirdly of all? She was smiling. Her eyes lit with sparkles and the tiredness he had seen only hours before was completely gone, replaced by love and happiness. Complete content.

Then those wonderful eyes landed on Kyle and her entire face fell.

Kyle winced. Either at the physical pain or seeing real life die in front of him, he was unsure.

“Kyle.” She said, wiping sweat from her brow. Suddenly, she was aware of how exposed she was, in nothing but glorified underwear in her own home. “Wh... what you doing here?” She coughed into her fist. Beside her was a clothing rail and she plucked a white hoodie and zipped it on quickly.

“Face.” He gestured, wincing again at the split lip, “please, help.”

Ruby looked to the side, winced and stared at him, “Kyle. Oh, for God’s sake.” She whispered and opened the door wide.

“You never fail to lower my expectations.” She said. Those words hurt the most out of all them today. He followed her inside, into this beautiful house he could never have, and watched her disappear into one of the hundreds of doors. “Come on, then.” She said. Monotone.

Kyle slipped off the muddy shoes and followed her, now aware of how much everything was truly hurting.

They reached the kitchen, the same one Kyle had had his birthday in many years ago, and sat on a chair as she rummaged through cabinets. She came out gripping a box and placed it in front of her.

“Why?” Ruby spoke. The word cut like a knife. She gestured for him to take off the raggedy hoodie and he did, and she grabbed hold of his arm and winced.

“He did a number on you, huh? Told you.” She rolled her eyes and began to tend the grazes from rolling down the hill, dabbing them with a small cloth with cold water on it. Though her words were snarky, she tended the cuts carefully, capturing her tongue between her lips in concentration.

“I was angry.” He said. Her hands were warm. Really warm.

Made sense, she had been working out before he had arrived and crashed her high.

“When are you not? All you do is brood in self-hatred that you project on others. You exhaust me.”

Fuck. Those words stung more than the grazes.

Kyle looked anywhere but her, staring at the portrait on the wall. The family photo. She seemed... so small in that. Her face had barely changed though. The freckles still prominent and so were her button nose and furrowed brows. She looked more mature and her hair had changed, but it still tugged his heart strings.

“You were working out?” He tried, swallowing nervously.

“Yeah.” She said. And that was that.

Only quiet for a long while and she bit her lip, “anything else? Aside from your arms.”

Kyle nodded and gestured to his knees. And chest.

“You gonna take them off?” She said expectedly. Kyle’s mouth worked uselessly for a moment, face flushing, “Uh- well, I mean- I just-“

“Jesus, take them off. No need to act prude. I don’t find you attractive, Kyle.”

Kyle’s blush faded fast and he sourly removed his shirt and trousers, staring at the flowerpots on the windowsill instead of her. He would carry that on his shoulders for a while. He didn’t know why he valued her opinions so much. This was why he hated being around her- all she did was make him feel weirdly invaluable.

“I’m sorry.” She spoke. Kyle looked down, finally, watching her tenderly touch his cracked skin on his knees. The blood was dried and gross.

“What for?” He asked.

“Saying that I don’t find you attractive. That was rude.” She whispered. Kyle was very quiet, looking at his palms, the palms smothered in dirt and his nails brimmed with grime and his knuckles bruised with blood. Then to hers, gently moving his legs apart. Those hands were small, gentle, her nails long and taken care of and a few moles on her wrist and knuckles.

Kyle gritted his teeth.

“It’s okay.” He whispered. Ruby looked up at him, that expecting look in her face, then going back to taking care of him.

“You know, Kyle,” she began, “you are a huge dick. You should smile more.”

Kyle was almost tempted to knee her in the face. It would be easy. She was right there, staring at his white legs like they were nothing to her. All he would have to do is lift his leg with enough force and that would take her to the floor- and then he could strangle her with his big, dirty, bloody hands. Her small, dainty ones would never be able to stop him. No matter how hard she clutched or struggles, his hands were simply too much for her. He could overpower her just by straddling her to the tiles below. No matter how hard she trained he was heavier than her. He would always beat her. He would always kill her.

“Kyle?”

“Huh?” He jolted, then a sharp intake of death because his whole back throbbed with agony. “Wh- what?” He whispered.

“You were looking at me funny.” She said. She was disturbed. “Like... you were vacant. Or something. Like you weren’t really here.”

Kyle swallowed.

“Oh.”

It wasn’t the first time he got thoughts like this.

And it wouldn’t be the last.

After band aids and bandages had been placed (hilariously, some Hello Kitty ones- turned out Ruby hadn’t used some since childhood), Ruby called a cab for Kyle to go home. Despite everything, the environment was somehow enough to keep the tension at bay.

“What do you do for exercise?” He asked, leaning against the doorway out to the path of her home.

Ruby grunted. “I box. Do some martial arts here and there.”

“Oh? Why?” He asked.

“Because of assholes like you.” She said, smirking a little, “big and tall people who don’t know a thing about fighting. I want to be able to beat you in a fight. Actually, I could, if I really wanted to.” She paused, “beside, being called small and fragile and dainty my entire life is exhausting. I want to be respected.” Her eyes flickered to him dangerously, “properly.”

The car pulled up. No words were spoken. He left.


	3. rejection

The last year of high school. 

Since Peter, Kyle was quickly exiled from the group for “humiliating them” and sent on his way to be alone forever. Kyle accepted. He was attempting to recreate Ruby’s nonchalant yet expecting look, a frown and a eyebrow cocked, though it definitely wasn’t as good. 

He returned to sitting on his own, picking at his food and reading his books in silence. People didn’t even ask if they could take the chair beside him, they just did, not looking at Kyle. 

Simply, he was old news. Boring. 

Kyle tried not to think about it. 

His hands were sweaty and he left the sweatbox of a school, pulling his mullet into a small ponytail to keep the flick of hair back from his eyes, and he shifted from foot to foot from nerves. He didn’t like being in such an open space. It seemed like everyone was watching him. He was getting ahead of himself. Absolutely no one cared about him. 

He got home and dumped his bag on the floor and ran upstairs, however was stopped by, “Kyle.” His mother’s voice was grumbling. 

“Uh, yeah?” He said, walking back a few steps and peeking through the spindles of the stairs. She didn’t reply. 

Kyle grumbled incoherently and grumpily stepped down to face her. 

She was smaller than him. She had similar features to him, cold eyes and dark hair, the same angled nose. She had wrinkles and eye bags and she looked horrible. Kyle wondered if he would end up like that. He didn’t want to. 

“You don’t talk to me anymore,” she began, “and all you do is sit on your ass and go to school. Help me out around the house. Oh, get a job. Help pay the bills.” She ordered, not even looking up at him while she went through papers. 

“Mom,” he said, “this year I have my exams. I’m g’nna wait for those and then-“ 

“Why are you arguing?” She snapped. She could start a argument in an empty house. Her cold eyes were so icy, he wondered if he had even seen her be warm. 

“I have short arms and deep pockets,” she continued, “I need y’ help you greedy pig. I provide for you.” Michelle continued and curled her nose to show the disgust she had. 

“It ain’t my fault everyone walked out on ya.” Kyle whispered while walking away. Fuck her. Fuck this. He couldn’t even speak in his own home. Everyone was against him. He had no friends, no family that cared about him, the only person that ever talked to him was Ruby every so often, and even so she didn’t even look at him anymore. 

“What the hell did you just say, boy?” Michelle put the papers down and narrowed her eyes, watching her son tense up. He swallowed. “Nuthin’.” Kyle said through a wince. 

“Oh, no, don’t you fuckin’ lie to me, boy. Come ‘ere.” She said, voice not even angry, which made Kyle’s hair on his neck raise with alarm. His instincts told him to run, to get the fuck out of there, to hide. To live with Ruby in her lovely home with her lovely family and lovely food and lovely warmth and lovely books. But he couldn’t. He was stuck here. In the cold. 

Kyle silently turned around and walked forward to his mother again, head hanging low, eyes wide as dinner plates, though he refused to look at anything aside from his socks. 

“What did you say?” Michelle asked. 

Kyle knew there was no point to answering. The result would be the same. 

Kyle’s head remained low as the first hit landed on his cheek. A slap. Kyle clenched his eyes. Fuck. That hurt. He forgot how much it hurt. He already felt the redness appearing on his pale skin. Then another slap, on the other side of his face. 

“What did you say?” She demanded. 

“I said-“ Kyle began, wanting to end this now. Cut off by a sudden push, he fell to the floor that creaked below him, begging him to stop putting so much weight on the old wood. 

“What did you say.” She challenged, kicking him in the chest. 

God. It hurt. It hurt so much. 

Kyle shut his eyes and covered his face, his body getting pummelled by his mother, beaten, hit, kicked and bruised and God, it hurt, it hurt so much. 

“Plea-“

He couldn’t get a word out before he was winded, wheezing and panting and he hated the fact saliva dangled from his mouth as he struggled to breathe. 

He could over power her. 

He knew that. She didn’t have any actual experience fighting. She was five foot five inches. She wasn’t muscled by any means. He could over power her at any point he chose. He could stand right now and grab her wrist and shove her head into a blender and watch her fucking face get turned into a red and pink mess and watch those eyes become cold for another reason and watch that body slump to the floor and he could dump that awful mush in the container onto her face like a challenge. He could grab that knife he saw on the counter and run it right through her chest and watch the blood spurt from her mouth and chest and watch her collapse to the floor in a seizing mess. He could grab her black hair and smash her head into the wall so many times the wall becomes red. 

He could. 

He doesn’t. 

“What did you say?”

“I’m sorry.” Kyle choked. 

“Yeah. That’s what I thought,” she spat on his face and slammed the door the kitchen, leaving him in a dark hallway, bleeding and bloodied, cowering from shadows. 

Kyle rang the buzzer. He needed another person again. He couldn’t keep going for much longer if it kept on like this. 

“Who is it?” A woman. Ruby’s mum.... what was her name? Kayla? Oh, no. No. Definitely not. No. Carla? No. Katie. Katie. That was it. How could he forget? She was famous after all. 

“Oh, uh. Ruby’s friend. Kyle.”

There was a small pause. “Oh! Are you the one we celebrated your eleventh birthday with?”

“Yeah.”

“Come right in, sweetheart.” She greeted warmly and those doors swung open. He was no longer impressed by these gates, walking up the long path and not paying any kind to the glamorous garden of tulips and roses. 

The door was opened by Edward- looking older than before- and he smiled. 

“Woah! Look how you’ve grown.” Edward said with a genuine smile. “You’re taller than me.” That was true, there was about five inches between them. 

Kyle smiled as best he could. “I came for Ruby,” of course you did, idiot, “where is she?” 

Edward readjusted his suit, “she is talking to her father right now in his office. I will promptly let them know of your arrival. Sit yourself down in the living room.” Edward gestured to the room and walked upstairs once he knew Kyle was comfortable. 

After a few minutes, Ruby emerged with a scowl. 

She was wearing a blouse and a soft looking skirt, and knee height socks. Kyle couldn’t help but think she looked adorable, even with the anger in her face. 

Her arms were exposed and Kyle noted she had muscle. For someone who dressed so adorably, she looked like she could rip his head off and chew it like it was nothing. 

“Kyle.” She stated. 

She winced hearing steps coming forward. 

“Look, darlin’, I couldn’t help it, I had a meeting.” The voice was saying. It was deep, not aggressive, but borderline patronising. The man came into frame. He was a 5’8 man with short hair and stubble, over weight and wearing an undone business shirt. His skin was tan, and his wrinkles showed more stress lines then smile ones. His eyes were blue, unlike Kate’s and Ruby’s. 

“Dad. Not here.” She said, not turning to look back at him. 

Her father glanced to Kyle, and his demeanour changed from whatever the fuck that was to professional. “Oh, hello, there. You’re Carl, right?”

“Kyle.” Correcting him felt weird, like somehow Kyle got his own name wrong. The man was scary. Something about him made him want to run and hide. 

“Right. Are you Ruby’s... y’know.” He raises his eyebrows suggestively (so he went from somewhat frustrated to professional to playful in moments?) and Ruby’s scowl turned into a very annoyed expression, one side of her lip pulling upward and eye twitching. 

“Dad, Stop.” She said through gritted teeth. 

He hesitated, looking between the both, and then rolled her eyes. “God, you can be such a... whatever. I’ll talk to you at dinner.”

“Unless you have a meeting...” Ruby whispered to herself. Kyle probably wasn’t meant to hear that. Even so, he shifted uncomfortably to foot to foot. He couldn’t speak after watching that. 

Ruby finally got herself together and adjusted her blouse. “Hello, Kyle. Is there a wound I need to treat to?” She raised an eyebrow and walked to the water pitcher Edward had set out and gave herself a glass. She didn’t offer Kyle one. She gulped it down with shut eyes and finished it within a moment, the water slipping down her chin and making the blouses’ hem see-through with the liquid. Kyle watched, mesmerised, licking his bottom lip, until he tore his gaze away and onto the sofa. 

“Oh, right. I bought you cookies. I made them. My sister’s recipe.”

Ruby’s eyes followed his and she walked forward to the trey hidden by tin foil. Slowly, carefully, like it was a bomb or a trap, she unravelled it and blinked. Simply, chocolate chip cookies. They looked fairly well baked and tasty. 

“Oh,” She said, looking almost touched. “Thank you.” She smiled warmly at him. That smile them flattened. “Why?”

“Well, I don’t have any friends.” Ruby nodded. “And I- uh- like you. Not in that way. I’ve just always liked you, I think? I mean sometimes I hated you. Thought you hated me and all that. But after thinking about it I wanna be your friend.”

Ruby stared. 

She stared. 

And stared. 

Kyle almost crumbled with judgment. 

“Huh.” She finally spoke, taking another glass of water and chugging it. “Well, Kyle... You’re reckless, rude, judgemental and had a powertrip last year. You have been God awful to me and violent. Why should I be your friend?” She said, side eyeing him. 

“Because,” Kyle began, “You’re the only other honest person in our school.”

Moments passed and Ruby’s side eye turned from Kyle, to the window. She waited there like a kid waiting for their parent to return home, and she pulled her long hair up in a ponytail. 

“Kyle. You’re not honest.”

Huh?

“You’re a fucking liar.” 

Kyle stepped back. 

“What?” 

“You want honesty? You have lied about everything, really, since you’ve got here. And every time someone lies about you too you accept it and make it part of you. You’re a coward, you don’t stand up for yourself. You let everyone push you around. Until you’re basically begging me to be your friend.” She began, “you allow people to redefine your very being because you’re afraid of change, afraid of people judging you, which is so very odd because you became friends with the punks. Though I suppose they weren’t really friends since they kicked you to the curb after one mishap. One that I had to deal with. I don’t appreciate coming to the door and seeing you, bloody, bruised and muddy on my doorstep, asking for me to be your knight in shining armour.

“And the thing is Kyle, is that I like helping people. So I do help you. And you always disappoint me. You never learn. You take the bad shit that happens to you and you just... you just let it consume you. You don’t see light in any situation because everything to you is so piteously awful. You pity yourself too much.”

Ruby swallowed once she finished. 

Kyle blinked a few times, swallowing too, and then down to the cookies he had made for her. A very devouring silence fell over them. 

“Kyle, I’m sorry, I’m just-“

“Did you know you can spread Nutella on that and it makes it taste nicer?” Kyle said, voice cracking a little. He took a cookie and split it in half, not even looking at her. “I mean, that was what my sister did. Her name was Kayla. And I miss her. And I love her. She’s not dead. She just... left. But she made sure I knew how to make these cookies.” 

Ruby’s hand switched to go comfort him. 

“But I also hate her.” He looked up at Ruby now, eyes tearful. “Because she left me when she needed me the most.” 

Kyle got up and left, leaving the cookie split and the door hanging open. 

Could you even miss someone if they never truly connected? Kyle hadn’t felt happy in months. 

He could feel it. 

Not much longer until....

He was counting the days...

Every day he rolled out of bed, skipped breakfast and walked to school, a zombie, never really taking in anything. Just static. In his head, always. Like a television left on for too long. He couldn’t focus, his eyes wouldn’t let him, they would blur like he had tears dancing in his eyes. Peoples words were nothing but a foreign melody to his ears. 

Everything was numb however so painful. 

Kyle hated it. 

Every day, his mother yelled and screamed and pushed his head into ice, or slapped him, or slammed his head on a walk, or ripped up a book or snatched his headphones or grabbed his throat. 

Kyle had given up. He couldn’t care anymore. How could he?

His head on the lunch table, his eyes distantly focussed on the bin, on peoples legs, barely tuned in on those laughs and conversations, barely, faintly, distantly alive, someone poked his arm. 

Kyle tiredly blinked and looked at the finger. 

A small, dainty hand. Long taken care of fingernails. Moles and freckles. 

Kyle’s exhausted eyes followed the arm up- a white turtleneck hidden by an beige overall dress- and he blinked again. 

Brown eyes. 

“Come with me.” She said and dragged him out into a private toilet. Kyle blinked out the surprise, mouth moving uselessly. What was happening?

Those eyes weren’t plain anymore. 

They were bright. 

Not with happiness, no. 

They were sparkling, literally. 

Wait....

Kyle felt himself tugged back into reality and awareness and swallowed down a lump in his throat from nerves. 

A drip hit the surface Ruby was facing. 

Kyle looked from that to Ruby’s face. 

She was... 

“Ruby?” He asked again, lips gaping apart when the small girl dived into his arms. 

Where could he put his hands?

“Ruby?” He tried again, patting her back unsurely. 

“I’m-“ She stuttered through a cry, “I’m so sorry. I- I’m- I didn’t- you just look- I’m-“ Ruby was muttering into his neck, hot breaths against his skin. 

“Ruby, Ruby, breathe, please.” He whispered into her ear and slowly rubbed her back up and down. A few moments passed and she stabilised her voice, hiccuping and struggling, but she managed. “I’m sorry. I- ever since that day you’ve been... so down. So down.” Kyle looked down but she grabbed his chin, pulling it towards her. “No, no, please look at me.” Her dainty hands were on his cheeks now, keeping his face forward. “And I know those eyes. I know them when I see them.”

“What-“

“I know you weren’t planning on going much longer. Trust me. I know those eyes,” her face lost colour at the memory, voice cold and eyes vague, “so please, please... come to mine after school.” She spoke softly, and took her hands away from him, coughing into her hand awkwardly. Like she wasn’t allowed to express those emotions. She straightened herself up and pulled her hair into a ponytail and looked down, and then up. When she did, her face was back to being straight, even with her face flushed and eyelashes wet. 

“O-okay.” Kyle breathed, surprised. 

Unfortunately for Kyle’s battered feet, she didn’t offer him a lift and he was left to do a thirty minute track up to her mansion. As he did so, he listened to Where Evil Grows by The Poppy Family. God, why did everything hurt so bad? 

While treading, he thought of her shiny eyes. Something about seeing Ruby cry made him feel ill. Like this travel to her house should be dreaded. What did she mean by she knew his eyes? What does that mean? Did... she know... no, no, she couldn’t. Right? Kyle swallowed deeply. Ruby was omnipotent it seemed. She fucking knew everything about him. Maybe she was just incredibly smart. Yeah. 

Kyle was let in by the butler, and Edward made conversation but Kyle wasn’t really listening, just nodding politely. The words everyone was saying were still underwater to him. It was too hard to concentrate. He slipped his muddy converse off and looked around for the girl, who trotted out of the kitchen. Her face was grim, like Kyle hadn’t been invited. 

“I would have loved a lift.” Kyle found himself saying, his mind on autopilot. He didn’t even remember thinking it. 

Ruby looked to the floor. Today, she was wearing a beige dress over a white shirt. Kyle would have to ask one day about the colour beige. Why she always wore it. 

She apologised sincerely and blushed with embarrassment. “Come up to my room.” She invited, but didn’t wait for him, just stepping up and turning the corner to it. Kyle had only been in it once, when they were kids, but he recalled that day as clear as day. That day was something special. Kyle followed shortly after her and tried not to get curious about the other rooms down the hallway, and walked into her room. 

Her room had changed a lot, to say the least. As a kid, it was very themed around Hello Kitty and very pink. Now the walls were white and covered neatly by 80’s band posters, framed and lovingly taken care of, and she had a large record player, very old fashioned, and the metal that the music flowed from was a shape of an open flower. Her bed was huge, white sheets and pillows to match. All her furniture was a polished wood, though her floor was white and covered by a fluffy rug. 

She had a wall full of books, and a bean bag beside it, a huge floor desk lamp over hanging the seat so she could snugly read. Vines were hanging from the wall behind the beam bag. This entire room was warm and inviting and rich and perfect. 

Kyle wanted to lie on that bed. Just as he thought that, Ruby plopped herself on it as sunk into the sheets. 

“So...” she looked out the window, which now he paid attention to it, had a little nook she could sit on on the windowsill. Perfect. 

“So I just... come here.” She patted next to her. Kyle obeyed and sighed. God. This bed was so fucking angelic holy hell, he wanted to sleep on it. 

“I know you’re going through something. I wanted- want to apologise for all that shit I said about you.” Her face was reserved and distant, “sorry to make this about me for a moment, and this isn’t an excuse but an explanation, but that day I had a row with my father. You know of that. And it put me in a sour mood.” Her hands sweater and she wiped them away on her pretty dress. 

“But yeah... I’m sorry. Can we be friends?” She smiled sadly. 

The male teenager took a moment to think, his face mirroring her signature one, and he buried his face in his hands. “God,” he whispered and it was muffled because of his fingers, and Kyle flopped back on this Holy bed. “I’m... just... okay. When you say ‘friends’ you don’t mean these once-every-year-weird-ass interactions, right?” He peaked through his digits to see her nod. “Good, okay. I won’t be ignored? Or- or used?”

She shook her head twice. Kyle sat forward and breathed. “Okay... okay… let’s... wanna bake something?”

Ruby nodded. “Maybe teach me that recipe? Those cookies were to die for?”

Two hours passed and Kyle and Ruby sat by a lit fire, munching cookies and drinking hot cocoa while watching a film. The curtains were drawn and the room was only lit by that cracking beacon of warmth. Kyle felt at peace. He snuggled down further into the blanket they were sharing and rested his head on her shoulder. Ruby tensed at that, and Kyle pulled away. 

“I’m sorry, did I-“ Kyle began, frowning.

“No, no, sorry. I’m just not very used to contact.” Ruby apologised with a breathy laugh. “But, it was okay...”

Kyle nodded and put his head back on her warm shoulder. Was this real friendship? He felt… happy. Ruby made him happy. This was good. The film was good, the food was good, so was the drink and so was the environment. He could get used to this. 

Six o’clock came around and Kyle knew he had pushed it with his mum as she was now texting him, and he got up with a big stretch. “A’ight, sorry to do this but I have to go. Ma will get mad n’ shit.” He said through a long yawn. 

Ruby stood too, pulling her messy hair in a ponytail. “Okay, do you need an Uber?” She asked, pulling out her phone (the latest iPhone model) and preparing to get one immediately. 

“No, no. It’s okay. I can walk.” Kyle assured while they manoeuvred to the hall that lead to all the mysterious rooms he wanted to explore. Now he was more aware of his surroundings he noted a new portrait hanging up, the family being painted like it was two hundred years ago, and Ruby looked deadpan and straight faced. It was weird seeing her with her guard down today. He felt like he didn’t deserve to see it. 

“Hey, Kyle?” She said, putting her phone down on a table that had a vase of flowers inhabiting it. Kyle hummed absentmindedly, tying his shoe laces. 

“I want you to have this.”

Kyle perked up and was met with some silver hanging in front of him. The necklace. The necklace of the two wings forming a heart. 

“I- Ruby, no, I couldn’t do that to ya.” He said, waving his hands in denial. 

“Nonsense,” she waved him off and bent over to do it up around his neck, “I want you to wear this and know that you’re never alone, alright?” She was saying as she perfected the necklace and pulled back to see him wearing it, which caused the boy to look down shyly, feeling like he was being examined. 

“Alright, Kyle?” She said again. 

“Alright.”

“You always have me.” She knelt forward, crouching so they were face to face since he had been sitting on the bottom stair to do his shoes. “And Kyle, please don’t kill yourself.” 

Kyle blinked a few times and then nodded. “Alright.”

Kyle stepped out with a cookie in his mouth, music in his ears, and a new found will to keep pushing forward.


	4. chapter 4- endings

Ruby spent half her break with Kyle and the other half with her richer friends. She said that her friends were very judgemental of anyone who wasn’t of the ‘rich class’, and so there was no point introducing them because it would just make their ego trip just increase a Godly amount. Kyle couldn’t help but be resentful. Picking bigoted friends over him. But then he remembered that he has physically pushed her against a wall, so maybe he couldn’t judge. Still, he sat for fifteen minutes on his own, usually listening to punk music (he had left that group but their music had definitely stuck) and reading some sort of gothic literature to feel better than those who enjoyed modern books. Whenever she did join him, she would have a straight face and offer him some food or a book she was currently reading.

It was weird seeing her so vulnerable one moment and then the next being impenetrable, closed off and locked up. Kyle often watched her during lessons they shared or anytime he could really see her to see her behaviour. Half the time, she spotted him and only gave him a blank look until he looked away. Ruby could always feel eyes on her. Guess that was because of being in publicity all the time.

Yet, despite everything, they had agreed to go to Kyle’s house while his mother was out of the picture to have a good time. They walked home together (getting disgusted looks from her ‘friends’) and Ruby began to talk about film and what inspired her. She wanted to become a director, though her father disapproved, and she was angry about that. Kyle let her do the talking, which barely ever left the monotone, until they came across Kyle’s sad little house. The entire street was bland and lacking colour, which was made up by trash and garbage strewn around carelessly. Everything seemed to be decomposing. The trees were dark and grey and curling inward.  
That didn’t deter Ruby, and she offered a tiny smile of warmth, “go on, then.” She gestured for him to lead the way, and he nodded, in silence he opened the sad little door. The house was in the same condition, except Kyle had tried his hardest to neaten it up. The faded blue wallpaper was peeling at the edges, the popcorn-ceiling was nothing compared to the luxurious interior of Ruby’s mansion, and the furniture was all wood and no marble. He slipped off his boots and gestured for her to come upstairs, in which she obeyed- and she ignored the overturned photos on the walls and didn’t look around to give respect to Kyle, as he was clearly uncomfortable with someone inside his home. 

They reached his room and he closed the door. It was a teenage boy’s room, so it was messy, the pile of clothes having been pushed in the corner in hopes to be ignored. Over the walls were posters of punk bands, Misfits, The Clash, Destroy Boys… Kyle sat on his bed that was sadly tucked away beside his window that had a stack of untidy books placed on top of each other, little notes poking out of them.  
Ruby sat down politely, and took in his room, and nodded. “Cool.”

Cool? Did that mean she hated it? She did. She definitely did.

Kyle smiled at her and leaned forward on the bed, hand flailing around under the frame until he caught what he wanted. Vodka. He grinned at her, opening the bottle. “Savin’ this bad boy for a while, now! I’m ready and rarin’ to go.” He popped the cap and took out a shot glass he had prepared beforehand. Except, when he looked up at Ruby, her eyes were fixed on the bottle, her lips parted, and she looked unsure. “Kyle…”  
His smile fell and he tilted his head, “w’ssup? You don’t gotta do this if y’u don’t wanna.” Kyle already began to put the bottle away. Looking to Ruby’s face, he was shocked to see it red in the cheeks. “No, no, I-… just haven’t gotten drunk before.” She looked away from him. 

She was… embarrassed?

Kyle raised an eyebrow and only offered a meek smile, “hey, look, if you want I’ll be sober friend this time?” Kyle hated being sober, he was always sober friend. He wasn’t a fan of holding people’s hair as they vomited on his shoes or the ruthless honesty that came with drinks. Yet, he would do it for her. She needed to loosen up, anyways. 

“No,” she declined, shaking her head, “you wanted to get drunk. Um… I’ve always been interested.” She said, seeming a little more comfortable with everything. Kyle chuckled, “interested? Y’re tellin’ me lil’ miss perfect wants to get pissed?” 

“Hey!” She blushed more and retreated into her shell, “hey…” She looked up suddenly, having what looks like an alluring idea, and she snatched the bottle from Kyle’s hand. “’Little Miss Perfect’, huh?” She tried, throwing the lid. Kyle cocked a brow, “Steady on. That’s vodka.”

She ignored him and took a swing, and almost as soon as it hit her tongue she spluttered and supressed a cough, swallowing it down. “Oh my God…” She said, hoarse, and Kyle erupted into a howl of laughter, falling back on the bed, and flustered, she hit his arm. “Screw you.” She said with a cough. Kyle kept giggling like a maniac until Ruby took another swig. He supposed she now knew what to expect and that was why her reaction was tame this time. Her eyes still watered and she still coughed, but only gently, into her hand this time. 

Back and forth the bottle went, until early evening, Ruby was drunk and Kyle was tipsy. Ruby leant her head on Kyle’s shoulder and the boy looked down at the girl, wrapping an arm around her.   
“Y’u okay?” He murmured into her hair. She smelt like strawberries and coconuts. She nodded against his chest and looked up, staring into his eyes, “being drunk is weird.” She whispered it like a kid with a secret, and Kyle laughed, “yeah… No more for you.” Kyle said through a gentle chuckle, taking the bottle from Ruby’s loose grip. She whined a ‘no’ and weakly went after the bottle, and Kyle snorted and put it to the side. 

“You’re so mean…” She huffed and pulled away from his chest. Kyle jolted suddenly, grinning, “look, watch this!” He pulled something from the drawer, a thick cylinder, and after clicking a button, the cylinder glowed on the inside, projecting the walls in stars and galaxies and planets. Ruby’s lips parted, looking at the bumpy ceiling that had stars covered all over it in a deep blue. Kyle looked at her, her face covered in the deep sea colour, and he couldn’t help but feel a little breathless. Ruby looked from the ceiling to Kyle, and smiled. Unapologetically large.

Maybe it was the drink, maybe it was the stars, maybe, just maybe, Kyle was just confident, but he leaned forward and pressed their lips together. 

Kyle hadn’t kissed before, no one ever wanted to, and even though he could be inconsiderate sometimes, he wasn’t about to force someone to. Because of that, he was unsure of what to do, placing one hand on the back of her very soft hair.

A moment passed and Ruby pulled back with wide eyes.

Kyle blinked.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry-!” Kyle began, and Ruby was flushed a deep red. She touched her lips and looked up at him, “I- um, it’s okay.” Ruby said and stood up, a little shaky, wobbling, drunk. How could he mess up this bad? He just made an actual friend and he had to ruin it.

What was wrong with him?

“I’m… I’m gonna go home.”

Ruby sat in the back of the car, staring at the floor. Edward would usually be very talkative. His eyes just kept going back to her through the mirror. Her dark eyes were only illuminated by passing streetlights that grew brighter as the neighbourhood grew more stable. She looked down, fiddling with her skirt, until Edward cleaned his throat. 

“You alright, kiddo?” He asked, making eye contact through the mirror. Honestly, despite the question, it took a few moments for Ruby to think of a reply. “Huh? Oh, yeah. Had my first beer.” She said, flat.

Edward cocked a brow but didn’t laugh how she expected. The concern remained, “you haven’t said a word. I know you’re a quiet girl but you didn’t even say hi…” She knew he wasn’t offended though a pang of guilt bypassed the logic.

“Sorry, Ed. Just… stuff happened and now my head kinda hurts.” 

Edward stopped at a traffic light and took his chance to turn to her, “okay, so, maybe I can sneak you in and say you felt ill and not that you have a hangover,” he said, a tiny smile making an appearance, “and if your parents ask, I’ll just say you were amazing tonight but need some time alone.”

Ruby brightened- just a little. “Thank you, Ed.”

Ruby didn’t visit him at break for a while. Kyle was back in his slump again, reading books and picking at his cheap food. Brooding, frowning, and always looking down. It was like last year all over again. Thinking of that, he caught sight of his old posse, giggling and throwing food at one and other. He couldn’t believe he was friends with them…

Despite, Ruby’s best efforts, Kyle caught her arm as she was leaving school. Out of reflex, she whipped around, grabbing Kyle by the shirt and thrusting him into a wall. Surprisingly strong…. Kyle tried not to blush.  
“Oh, Kyle.” She let go of his shirt and began to walk again. Kyle collected himself and trailed behind her, “Ruby, c’mon, man. I just wanna talk.” Ruby simply continued to walk, head set forward. Why was she being so childish? They should just talk it out! This thought in mind, he grabbed her wrist again, “Ruby.”

She tugged her arm away, “I don’t owe you a conversation.” She sniped. “Now, please, leave me alone.” Her attempt was futile, Kyle was only riled up more, “come on, Ruby! Please. I miss you. I don’t have anyone else, please talk to me, please stop bein’ so childish.”

That made her stop. 

Bit by bit, she faced him, her eyes dark. “Oh,” she snarled, “oh, you men, you’re so pathetic. You’re so deluded!” Her voice raised, she took a jab at his chest, and Kyle gasped a little and frowned. “I don’t owe you anything. I don’t owe you a smile, I don’t owe you a fake pat on the back. What do you want me to do? Want me to say ‘oh, it’s all okay, Kyle, that you kissed me without permission’. Perhaps you think I’m overreacting, perhaps you think that I’m to blame for your inconsideration. Have you even thought of this from my perspective?” A pause. “No, of course not. How it is to me, if you care, is that I got almost black out drunk with someone who I trust, and you betrayed that trust by taking advantage of me and kissing me. I don’t know about you, and frankly I don’t care, but I cared who I kiss first. And now it’s you! It’s you. You have taken advantage of me. I don’t care that you had also drank before you use that as an excuse, you could still think clearly and honestly, its beyond pathetic if that’s your excuse. I am not overreacting, I am not crazy, I am not hysterical. I could have gone to the police and reported it, but I realise it was simply a mistake on your end. A shitty mistake. Yet, you keep pushing. I don’t want to talk to you. Not for a while. I placed my trust and upmost faith in you and I regret even believing for a second we could really work. Kyle, I won’t deny sometimes there’s tension between us, or that sometimes I do think of us, but I don’t want a relationship and I don’t want it with you. You are reckless and thoughtless and rude and mean and controlling. You have this complex that people dislike you because of what? Your class? Sorry to break it to you but people don’t like you because you’re horrible sometimes. I don’t even know if you’ve ever been nice to anyone that isn’t me. I haven’t seen you be kind. Now, leave me alone and stop looking at me like I’ve wronged you after you have betrayed me.”

She panted for a few moments, chest rising and falling fast, and she wiped a tear from her eye. She peered around, spotted her car and sprinted to it. Soon after, it drove away.

“Kyle.” His mother called from downstairs and Kyle sighed and sat up, “what’s up?” He pulled off his headphones and waited for her answer. She didn’t and he groaned, standing and shuffling down the creaky stairs. “What?”  
“Don’t ‘what’ me, c’mere.” She hissed and Kyle trotted to her. If he was a dog he would have a tail between his legs, “wha- can I help?” He licked his cracked lips.

Her eyes were glued to her screen of her phone, “so, why is it that I’ve just gotten an email from school and it’s said you are getting Ds in math?” 

Kyle took a step back unsurely, “uhm,” “Jesus, listen to ya! Ya need a right bollocking, you son of an bastard.” She approached him, but Kyle stepped back, “you’re as crazy as a bullbat! Leave me alone. I swear on my life I’ll boost my grades, ma!” He said, but it was far too late. As soon as bullbat left his mouth the woman was getting closer, hand wrapped tight on a belt. “C’mere!”

Kyle was sweating bullets at this point, and he was now in the hallway from stepping back so many times. “Ma, come on, let’s talk about this.” He really needed to learn how to control his temper, it always lead to situations like this. Even so, he needed to deal with the consequences.

Kyle went to bed covered in lashes.

It was about two weeks until Ruby had given him a second thought. She sat beside him, without even looking at him, slid a piece of paper to him. Kyle sat forward, quirking a brow at her. He opened it carefully, treating it like a bomb that would trigger if handled too roughly, and opened it. A hand written letter with cursive writing.

Hello Kyle, I’ve decided to write everything down here because it’s easier to express my emotions. I have been thinking about what happened and I’ve come to the decision to move on. In the end, you had a little too much to drink. I’m sorry. I feel like I have overreacted, and the effect it had on you was not fair at all. You don’t have to forgive me, but just know I’m sorry and ready to talk again.  
Ruby

Kyle peaked at her but her face was cold, plain. He placed a hand on her shoulder, “thanks, Ruby.

Ruby’s body slumped (Kyle didn’t even realise how tense she was) and she smiled tightly, “it’s all okay. Thank you for accepting.”

Kyle smiled, small.

It is all okay.

They decided to remain and Ruby’s house, since the girl was clearly avoiding the memories or house. She was back to normal but now they had this unspoken distance separating affection. They sat on Ruby’s bed and were listening to some eighties music, and Kyle rolled over onto his back, “dude, can we listen to summin’ else?”

“What?” She spoke, a brow raised, and looked at her flower-themed record player, “what’s wrong with Madonna?”

“Nothin’, just like… Have you ever tried punk?” Kyle smiled a bit, and Ruby cocked her head. “Apart from Greenday, no.” 

Kyle felt like a kid in a candy store, within minutes he was playing his own music, and Ruby was silent, respectfully sharing his earbuds. After a while, Kyle put both buds in and watched her face closely.   
“This is good!” She said, way too loud, especially from her mouth, and Kyle snorted, “you’re yellin’.” Of course, her reply was a very comically loud, “what?”

Kyle chuckled and flopped back on the bed, looking at the smooth ceiling. She joined him, staring too, and their shoulders brushed a little. He could hear the music blasting through the headphones and he took a peak at her face. “Hey.”

Ruby didn’t notice, her fingers drumming into her stomach with the lyrics to the song. Kyle tried again and she peered at him, taking out one of them. “Huh?”

He was glad they were back to normal, even if he couldn’t touch her in fear of upsetting her. He couldn’t take another few weeks on his own, his only company being his mother. Speaking of, he was trying to rest his aching arm. It had fallen victim to her belt, and honestly all he wanted to do was relax and ignore it. But she had purposely went for the left arm, when he was left handed, so his skin was stinging with every movement. Ruby didn’t know, so maybe this force field between them was handy after all.

“How’re ya?” Kyle asked, Ruby wrapping the wire around Kyle’s iPod and handing it gently back to him, and she smiled a little. “I’m doing okay. And you?”

The dark haired boy went to say he was okay, however he leaned on his arm a bit too roughly and sucked a breath through his teeth. “I’m alright.”

She noticed, eyes flickering between his arm and his face. “You sure? You haven’t gotten into a fight recently?” Her eyes were scanning his entire body, trying to pick him apart and figure out exactly what was going on under his long sleeved shirt. He suddenly felt very exposed and naked.

“No. Stop worrying yourself about it, doll.” 

“Doll?”

Kyle swallowed nervously and Ruby only chuckled. “It baffles me that despite the years I’ve spent here, I haven’t gotten the accent.”

Kyle nodded, “as fresh as the first time I met ya, you Gotham bastard.”

Ruby pushed him lightly with a laugh, “but serious, Kyle, if anything’s going on- at all- let me know, okay? I needs to know if you’re alright.”

Her small hands were fiddling with the winged-locket necklace that was around his neck. He could feel her warmth radiating against his skin. He wanted to be closer, be engulfed in her warmth, hold her and never let this warm feeling go. 

“Now come on, you! Let’s go make cookies!”

The days were passing faster and more bearable. Intentional or not, Ruby began to sit with him for longer, her rich friends giving her the stink eye, however she seemed oblivious or not to have a care in the world. He did all the talking during school hours, she just sit, listened and reacted. It was harder to talk to her in school, her armoured persona hiding any twitch of human emotion. Kyle didn’t mind, talking either angrily or pleasantly to his heart’s content, even though she was limited to nods and eye contact.

After a while, the nods and eye contact faded, and her eyes had faded into a dark, exhausted brown, and her outfits became less pretty and for comfort, warm and big. Kyle had tried to ignore the shift in behaviour, except this was his only friend and he couldn’t afford any mistakes. 

“Ruby?” He asked, and she tilted her head to subtly let him know she was listening. They were sitting on the wall outside school, waiting for Edward to arrive. Her legs were swinging. They stopped dead still at the question.

“What?”

“What’s wrong? Recently you’ve been pretty shut in.”

Ruby hesitated, her glassy eyes flittering around for something to lock to and ended up on her shoes- a speck of dirt among all the pure whiteness on her converse. A long pause extended to a minute, and Ruby finally gulped and dug in her bag, ruffling around until she got what she wanted. A letter.

“I… it’s just easier if I…” Ruby’s voice wobbled a little. Kyle opened his fingers for the letter, the paper barely even scraping his fingertips when she pulled it back sharply. The teenage boy went to ask what was wrong, she blurted, “I’m moving.”

“What?”

“I’m moving. Mom and dad had always said Texas was temporary. They wanted me to have a “normal” childhood, with normal kids and a normal life. But my childhood is ending. We’re moving back to Gotham.”  
“But…”

“I know, I know…” Ruby whispered, those small dainty hands he had just began to love and learn about overlapping his. “I know. Look, I will finish high school, go to university and then get a job, and I’ll come find you! I promise.”

Kyle stared at the freckles that kissed her knuckles and he let go of her hands. “I- but you’re my only friend!” He exclaimed, “I can’t have- but you’re-!” He continued to ramble but Ruby pulled him in, his head on her chest. He could faintly hear her heartbeat- a drum, echoing in her body and pulse. It was fast and almost erratic, panicked.

“I know…” She whispered and pecked his head, trying to comfort the boy. 

“I’m going next week.”

“No.”

“Yes... I am… I’ve had so many arguments about it, trust me, Kyle, I don’t want to go anywhere.”

A long while, Kyle against her chest, Ruby pulled back and cradled his face in her hands, whipping a tear away with her thumb.  
“I won’t be too far.”

No. No. No. No, no, no, no. This is… this is the worst. Kyle stared at his wall and the posters molded together with tears that ran down his cheeks, dripping from his chin and seeping into his clothes. He followed one down his face in his mirror and focused on the necklace, and wrapped his hand around it, and tugged it off to look at it in his palm. This: a gift of pure kindness, of love, of trust, of care. Will it all go to waste? She will find more and nicer friends.

She is going to forget him.

The goodbye was beyond bittersweet, both promising to keep in touch, a hug, a kiss on the cheek, and one soft, gentle, emotional, Ruby smile to send him on the way, the two trucks that had their belongings in it filtered away into traffic, and slowly, so did the rich, black car with beige seats.

Kyle yelled. Not coherent words, a scream of pure rage and loss. He gripped his hair in the mirror and almost went to punch it, but didn’t, thinking of all the things Michelle could do to him. He turned out the bathroom, storming to his room, and grabbed a few bottles from under his bed and chugged, chugged and chugged, until his throat was so used to the pain that even breathing was a relief.

His head was swimming, his mind was running and his fingers were itching for something to punch- or someone to punch. He was back in the bathroom (when, he wasn’t sure) and he stared at himself. His icy eyes and dark eye bags and faded freckles on his nose, his shaggy mullet and his big cheek bones and tacky clothes and the perfect fucking necklace. He yelled again, tugging his hair, and fell to his knees, and in the meanwhile grabbed onto a cabinet desperately, trying to keep standing. The cabinet, being so poorly made, crashed down with him, the glass front smashing into tiny little pieces that pricked his skin. He felt warm spreading all over his side. He groaned, slowly coming to his senses, and the first thing he saw was green dye. 

What was that thing people did? Change their hair while in a crisis? Maybe that was what he needed.

He grabbed it, quickly sprayed his hair with water and applied it, within minutes he was putting the dye everywhere he could reach of his thick hair, and he ignored the small little cuts on his side that was spreading the red ooze to his shirt.   
Ten minutes passed and he washed it out, his hair now a dark, envious green, and he stared at himself. 

He opened the door, going to his room to sleep everything off… when…  
“Kyle?” 

Michelle.

Her voice was shrill and annoying and loud and demanding and patronising and so her. Frozen where he stood, his eyes only moved to the stairs, seeing her shadow casted on the peeling wall.  
“Where are ya, boy?” She called, the rustling of clothes.

Her son found himself wondering down the stairs, eyes wide, hair dripping and shirt bloody. She turned and looked him up and down, “the fuck happened to you?”  
Kyle…

Kyle snapped.

She was on floor and he didn’t know how or when but it just happened, she was groaning and moaning and moving sluggishly and unsurely and Kyle was on top of her, her weak, frail body trembling between his legs.  
Is this what she had always felt like? She was a fucking monster

Everything in his ears was ringing and hem oved so clumsily yet so predictably, into the kitchen, where those knives sat, calling, whispering, luring him over with sweet lullabies and a promise of everything coming to the end. His hand was around it and he pulled it from its home, and he smiled, the feeling of the knife being relaxing and almost like it belonged in his fingertips.

He was back in the hallway and she had managed to stand. Whatever he had done, had done a number on her, the side of her face was bleeding and she looked uncertain of where she even was.

“Boy… call nine-one-one… I think I…” Even with the clear concussion, her ability to see the knife as life-endangering was still there, since when those fucking eyes spotted the blade, they were the ones fearful. She stumbled back a bit, gripping onto the door handle of the front room to hold herself up. “Kyle… put that silly lil’ thing down.”

Kyle pounced, bringing them back to the floor, and he stared at her frightened, blue eyes, and he lifted the knife. This was for everything. This was for the years of abuse and neglect, the humiliation and the lack of family and the horrible, horrible parenting.

He breathed for a moment, Michelle screamed.

The scream came to an end.

The knife kept moving. Up and down, in and out, gutting her chest like an animal, the blood splattering his ruined button-up and those fucking eyes only stared and stared at him until it was all gone, her hand slumping on the floor, the knife patterned with blood, and Kyle sitting on her, victorious. 

Kyle stood, gripping the knife with white knuckles and he slowly made his way to his mirror, looking at himself dazedly. He touched the blood on his face- and it was stickier than he imagined, thicker than he had imagined, and left prints down his skin when he touched it. He stuck his tongue out, a questioning taste, a small bit of animalistic curiosity, and he recoiled at the taste. He had not known really what to expect. He continued to touch and adventure with the blood, and eventually put the knife down to spread the blood from the edges to his lips to his ears.

A great big smile. 

Then, a great idea. 

An appalling evil idea. 

He took the knife, and began to cut, using the blood already on his face as guide lines.

Months later, Ruby sat, wearing full black in her empty, depressing mansion, staring at the newspaper of her parent’s death. Edward, as requested, fetched the latest as soon they were put out.  
On page five, talk of a young man dressed as a clown. 

With a mullet and piercing blue eyes.

A haunting smile and a carefree personality. 

Tears. She slapped her hand over her mouth, because looking at that picture, she knew who it was.

Her old friend.

Kyle.


End file.
